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A Lifetime In A Night

Gary Lucas — Tue, 06 May 2025 01:16:50 +0000

A Lifetime In A Night Gary Lucas May 5, 2025 - 21:16

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By Róisín Nolan

We went to the premiere of Conall Morrison's engaging new production of Colin Murphy's The United States vs. Ulysses, which opened on April 3rd, 2025, at the Irish Arts Center on 11th Ave and 52nd Street in New York City, and highly recommend it if you're a fan of Joyce's novel.

I'm extremely partial to Joyce—my favorite guitarist after Groucho Marx—and Ulysses is my favorite ever book, now largely (sadly) more widely unread than ever (do most Gen Zers even read? Judging by the demographic of the audience last night, apparently not). A famously "difficult" novel that needs to be absorbed at least twice before the full richness of its poetic language and design kicks in, I first stumbled across a bootleg copy way up on a shelf in our house growing up in Syracuse—a copy that my father liberated from the Zeta Beta Tau frat house at Syracuse University.

James Joyce in Zurich 1917

Funnily enough, this kind of random encounter with a supposedly "smutty" book sure to corrupt the impressionable youth of America is exactly what the prosecuting attorney in this courtroom drama (a play within a play couched as a March of Time CBS radio show) warns the judge of in his argument to ban the book in America after its first publication in Paris in 1922. In the early '30s, publisher Bennett Cerf aimed to publish the book in America through his newly established firm Random House, and needed a test case to refute charges that it was "obscene" once and for all. His attorney more or less smuggled an imported copy of the book into the US in plain sight of customs officials, where it was seized as pornographic literature, thus setting up this trial.

In 1934, after the conclusion of this trial, Cerf successfully published the first authorized US edition of Ulysses. The ensemble cast, imported from Ireland for this production and juggling both American and Irish accents when acting out passages from the book itself, is superb, and really gives a flavor of the impassioned controversy this revolutionary novel sparked. A reverie during a five minute courtroom break in the trial turns into an extended riff on the phantasmagoric "Circe" episode set in Dublin's "Nighttown"—and there is plenty of Molly Bloom's (then) shocking sexually frank language from her "yes I said yes I will Yes" soliloquy counterpoised with the judge's long-winded delivery of his (happy for us) verdict near the end.

Bravo to the Irish Arts Center for bringing this first-class production to NYC. The play will run through June 1st, 2025.

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What They're Serving Out in Seattle…

C. Jefferson Thom — Tue, 23 Jun 2015 00:46:02 +0000

What They're Serving Out in Seattle… C. Jefferson Thom June 22, 2015 - 20:46

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Photo Credit: Bruce Clayton Tom

Don Nordo del Midwest

Cafe Nordo, Seattle

Dinner theatre is an experience that one might naturally associate with a mediocre meal accompanied by a tired production of some standard-bearer musical. Cafe Nordo challenges this preconception, doing the unthinkable by infusing creativity and sincerity into this otherwise basely novel tradition.

Presenting Don Nordo del Midwest as the first production in they're their new Pioneer Square location, Cafe Nordo offers up their play on the tale of Don Quixote as re-envisioned with the famed idiot savant questing to be a revolutionary chef on a haphazard mission to bring his culinary vision to the Midwest. Blending elements of commedia dell'arte and theatre of the absurd, this production serves up some interesting entertainment between original courses.

Terry Podgorski's script seizes the opportunity left on the table by most dinner theatre and incorporates the meal into the script. Following the episodic nature of the this quixotic mis-adventure, the story is segmented and chaotic at times as it bumps and crashes through some of the dietary options in the Midwest. The eye to this storm of movement and activity comes in a moment where Podgorski takes an unexpectedly semi-sympathetic look at the institution of frozen foods, exploring a tragic juxtaposition between their seeming necessity and inherent evils. This scene is hauntingly punctuated with some uncanny vocals by singer Devin Bannon, who crones with soul and sorrow. Another enchanting musical contribution comes from Dayton Allemann, who jams on guitar and sings with a beautiful and melodic flute. All original compositions are the work of composer Annastasia Workman, making for another creative evolution to this formerly flat genre.

Actor Maximillian Davis offers up the stand-out performance of this production, portraying "Sancho" with nuanced facial expressions that communicate deeper than the content of his lines and are accented with flecks of welcomed comedy. The chorus of actors/servers also engage with energy and commitment, hustling through their many roles and duties with the excitement of a devoted troupe.

However, breathing life into this most-often soulless form of theatre isn't without its drawbacks, and trying to find focus while juggling dishes and drama is where this production faces its greatest setback.

Erin Brindley's direction is somewhat scattered between the courses and the story, at moments struggling with Podgorski's script which has been crafted around the unique culinary needs of Cafe Nordo first, leaving any story or message as an afterthought. This compounds with a stewing confusion to make for some very disjointed moments where it's difficult to know where to place one's attention or what to do.

Overall, Cafe Nordo puts out a very original product and they're sincerity glows through. The possibilities of their future productions is an encouraging prospect and leaves one with anticipation over what they will serve up in the future. If you're looking for something different in the world of theatre then Don Nordo del Midwest is definitely worth checking out.

Julie Taymor - The Dusty Wright Show

Dusty Wright — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 11:04:26 +0000

Julie Taymor - The Dusty Wright Show Dusty Wright June 8, 2012 - 07:04

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